Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-06-10
IN JAIL AT LAST.

ROBERT FITTON, THE WELL KNOWN VICTIM
OF NUMEROUS INCENDIARY FIRES, UNDER
ARREST FOR FORGERY, PERJURY AND CON
TEMPT OF COURT.
Much interest was created locally last
Saturday 10y the announcement that Rob
crt Fittun, well known, especially in the
northern and eastern part of the county,
for his many unfortunate experiences in
losing property by fire. had been arrested
in Walpole, n H., and was that day ON his
way to Jail in Woodstock. Fitton is a man
of wealth and his residence is, or has been,
in Ludlow. He has owned property in va
riuus places, mostly wooden mills, and has
been engaged in the manufacture of wool
en- goods at Proctorsville and Cambridge
port among other locations. In most in
stances, if not in all, the property which he
has owned has been burned after being
well insured the insurance companies have
suspected him of incendiarism and have
come to have such an estimate of him as to
refuse to insure property for him. he re-
Gently testified before IA United States court
that nine different buildings owned by
himself or members of his family, had
been burned within a few years, and
careful estimate Of the amounts of insur-
ance paid under these fires, placed the
amounts at between 800, 900 and 100000.
Contests have been made by the companies
in several cases, but he has, we believe, al
ways succeeded in recovering the amount
of his insurance. He is said 70 POSSESS
good law library and to be well versed IN
the law, always acting effectively as
prompter to his lawyers in the contested
cases which he has had in court.
His most recent insurance case, and the
one which has made him best known local
", was that at Cambridgeport, in the town
of Rockingham, where he had WOODEN mills
insured and they were burned within a
week The insurance was effected through
Sherman * JENNIE of BrattlebOro who, ON
Ftton's application, gave binders in sew
erul companies, pending inspection OF the
property and the acceptance OF the risks
by the companies Before this had been
completed the property was burned. ms
was in August 1888. The companies con
tested payment Of the insurance and the
matter went into the United States courts
where it was finally decided about a
wear ago that the companies must pay their
losses which, with interest and costs amount
ed to about $lG, 800 This insurance was
effected in the name of Fitton's wife, TACT
which probably helped titton's side OF the
case.
The principal facts in the case under
thus stated in press despatch from Bel
lows Falls Fitton owned some real estate
at Cavendsh and in some mysterious man
ner il caught fire and was destroyed. Inc
insurance companies refused to settle their
policies. Fitton therefore began action
against Them and finally obtained YER
dict. Among the evidence introduced by
Fitton was an affidavit from one Wheldon
who occupied one of the buildings at the
time of the fire. In this WheldUn stated
TINT the fire might have been the result OF
his own carelessness. After the insurance
cases were settled Fitton brought action on
the strength of this affidavit against Whel-
don for damages. The affidavit was writ
ten bv Fitton, and was simply signed by
Wbeldon The case was called at the De
cember term of the Windsor county court.
Wheldon came forward and pronounced the
affidavit II forgery, and expert testimony
was introduced to show that the part on
which the action was based was written al
ter the affidavit had been signed. No de
cision was arrived at by the court, and the
affidavit was ordered to be kept by the clerR
of the court. Fitton knowing that he mus'
secure it, so the story goes, made out VIII,
of replevy, cut the name oil JusJlce Oh
the neace from an old writ, and pasted II
ON To the new one. This writ he got al
officer to serve on the clerk of the court Oh
January 6, and under pretence of desiring
a COPY of the affidavit, forcibly obtained
possession of the original, jumped INTO
buggy in waiting at the door, drove 10 th'
Central railroad depot, and took Tram tol
Canada. Upon application Oh the oliiCer'
the reuuisitiOn Of Gov. Ormsbee from HuE
Currier of New Hampshire, was obtained
and the officers have been on a lookout To-
,,.-s,, agtN
into New Hampshire and visited Walpole
where he was found at the home of friend
i'm bed. but dressed ready for travelling. III
arrest was effected by Deputy Sheriff Per
nv of Walpole, n. H., who surrendere'
him to Deputy Sheriff Lowell of Windhan
county md Sheriff Gardner Wallace o
Windsor county and he was taken by them t
Woodstock under n requisiton OF HoV
Ornsbee upon Gov. CurTier ana locked up
The Woodstock Standard gave tins &c
count of Fitton's seizure of the court pa
pers at the time of its occurrence last jan
uary County Clerk j. h. Pember hau a
experience Monday evening. In inc urll
of the case Fitton v. Wheldon there was
evidence an affidavit signed by Mheluo
hut which was doctOred after signature an
strong suspicious rested upon Robert rltto
of Cavendish, the plaintiff, as the CUNT
party. TN lne tNtlllb III NY
and a stranger who claimed to be an ONCE
drove into town, stopped in front OF tn
clerks Office and Fitton went in, requisite
a COPY of the affidavit and said he woul
be back in five minutes for it. After =
had stepped out the strange officer Went
and was soon followed by Fitton' The o
fcer said nothing but reached around u
clerk as he was at work making the cop
seized the paper and started for the doc
Mir. Pember sprang up and endeavored
hold the door but Fitton pushed 1t open al
the officer with the coveted paper slppe
out The two took TO their sleigh al
drove OH. The proceeding makes toler'
bly, certain what was suspected before I'M
there is something really rotten III pel
mark.
RiItOn's ArrHignment'
A Woodstock despatch says that fltto
was arraigned Tuesday afternoon al
pleaded guilty of contempt of court III SCI
ing the Indictment. @. B. Eddy, his co1i
sci, made a statement in mitigation oil